[WiP]_Daugavgriva (4p)

[jonarus_drakus]

Pretty much just pitching an idea at this point...

I recently (re)read the C.S.Forester Novel "The Commodore", from the "Hornblower" series. A good portion of the story was focused on the coastal village of "Daugavgriva" (as it is named in the Novel). In doing so, I found myself thinking that the village, on the coast of the Gulf of Riga and at the mouth of the Daugava River (referred to as the "Dwina" River in the Novel), with the city of Riga itself just inland, would be the perfect place for a CoH:EF map...

Here is a wikipedia article about the location: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daugavgr%C4%ABva

Here is an edited Google Maps image of the location today: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/efmapidea.jpg/
- The red box indicating approximate in-game map area, red circle are rough stating areas, yellow circles are VPs, white circles are locations of note.

What do people think of this as a map idea? Does anyone have any suggestions of how to best go about achieving the desired result? Was there any conflict in this general region during ww2, and is there anywhere I can find more info (or better yet maps) from that period?

Thanks in advance,

~JD

[jonarus_drakus]

Double-posting solely to 'bump' the thread (Normally I avoid double-posting like the plague - But the time past and lack of feed-back made me make an exception).

But anyway, here is a VERY early map image:


The base that has had work done is the (default) Allies base. IF your wondering what those black splotches are... They are meant to be piles of raw coal (made with re-coloured rubble splats). I quite happy with how they turned out, and am planning on adding even more.

Overall the map has had some major roads placed and that is about it... There will be 3 VPs: One in the 'old fort', with its walls and barracks and a small chapel. One will be out near the 'peninsula lighthouse', an area that will also feature a small urban setting. The 3rd will be roughly center on the map, but I haven't decided on any features for that area...

As before, any advice/suggestions for style, feature, territory composition, etc, are very much welcome!

JD

[GodlikeDennis]

Love the map's concept and how you've found a way to balance that little bridge part at the mouth of the river by putting it behind the base. This map has a lot of potential to be a really interesting layout.

Don't worry too much about resources. The balance team can handle that if the map is good enough. Just make sure lots of areas vary in building composition and style. Judging from the early idea and how one team starts at the dock I don't think you'll have a problem with that.

Would there have been a small industrial area or train station next to the dock in 1944?

This might interest you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga_Offensive_%281944%29

[jonarus_drakus]

Thanks for the article link GLD, It'll help I'm sure! (I've already decided to reverse the 'default' starting locations to reflect the late-war period indicated in the article). That said, I can find no indication of an rail links to the area at that period... Certainly, there is nothing like that there in modern times...

Progress report: Slower than I'd like, but still chugging along,

1) The 'suburb' on the point near the lighthouse:


2) A closer look at the church and the market area next to it (Ignore the VP in the Gazebo, the location is far from finished (let alone tested)):


~JD

[Max 'DonXavi' von B.]

Art-wise, this map looks awesome - although I miss some details regarding the splat work. The major penalty for gameplay is the density of objects though. Vehicles will barely be able to cross the streets in the town and there are too few passages around the church.

[GodlikeDennis]

I think you should place some map objects to totally block off some of these small areas to vehicles. If a vehicle can't path properly in there, it shouldn't be allowed in at all.

[jonarus_drakus]

A LOT more detail will be added over time, Don't worry about that Maxi

The Peninsula is meant to be a very 'tight' area to move around in, its pretty much the 'signature' of that sub-section of the map. But don't panic, it's not like the whole map is going to be that way. The peninsula kinda does HAVE to be 'busy' though, the whole point was to make it very hard to take, but very easy to hold. Considering how easy it is to cut it off from the docks starting area by rushing to cut off the port sector(s). Indeed, in the little testing I have done, its has been TOO easy to cut off, so I'm looking at having to try to funnel forces to the southern and eastern sections of the map, and increase the number of paths past the water to get to it... I'll put up some screenies of the port to illustrate what I mean soon.

PS: The VP 'inside' the gazebo works fine as is... I double place both items so the spot isn't completely empty in non-VP games.

~JD

[jonarus_drakus]

Just a few update images... I promised "port" pics, so here they are:

1) Full overview of the primary port facility (not yet finished)


2) A close-up of the main "port-hanger", showing the rubble piled up from the damage (I felt that near-by buildings would have taken damage from secondary 'spray' damage).


3) Some of the other buildings damaged by the hap-hazard bombardment (To show the detail I go to with 'interiors')


The large open, dirt, area inside the fences is meant to be open-air storage (as indicated by the lumber), But I am a little unsure of how to make it look used without over-cluttering it... It is meant to be mostly open with some yellow cover, but only a very small amount of green cover...

I *have* made some advances with other parts of the map too, but it is still quite slow going... I have an unfortunate tendency to over-focus on 1 thing/area and delay getting the basics done elsewhere as a result (hence the completely 'plain' areas around the edges of what I have done). In the town, I removed the gazebo in favor of a statue/water feature that will be 'inside' the VP in VP games, thus countering the odd look of the VP 'bleeding through' the object(s) as before.

~JD

[GodlikeDennis]

The port looks great. I always like when maps come and have areas that look like something not on any other map. Very unique.

[stealthattack1]

awsome work. keep it up.

[jonarus_drakus]

Nope, not dead!

I just have a tendency to over-play games until I completely burn out on them and don't want to touch them at all for a while... That is what happened here... But its not *all* bad news! I do have a little something to show off that you haven't seen yet!

THE FORT


Origionally, I had planned on making the Fort larger and more historically accurate in shape. But I quickly came to realize that that would be almost impossible to achieve within the World-builder with is limited terrain adjustment functionality and fortification pieces. As it is, the fort pictured is hardly accurate in layout or even style, and exists mostly as a vague representation of the real thing. The size is intentionally small due to the "naturally" ultra-fortified nature of the location, though its obvious value as a strong-point will hopefully encourage rather than discourage competition over it...

However, this one location more than any other has a greater impact on map balance (or lack there-of) than any other, and may well end up being unreasonable to include in its current form. I look forward to hearing the opinions of others on this issue...

~JD

[Walentin 'Walki' L.]

That looks sweet!

[jonarus_drakus]

...

I'm sorry guys, but I think I might have killed this map... I recently upgraded to Windows 8, and now I can't get the *game* to work, let alone anything else... End result, pretty much everything has been removed, and I forgot to make a back-up first...

...

I Doubt I'll be trying to re-make it any time soon either... But that doesn't mean I'm quiting the map=making all together either... Just as soon as I can get the game to run again, I'll be right back into the mapping.

~JD